Bending press



July 10, 1962 ECKOLD 3,043,359

BENDING PRESS Filed Jan. 8, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 H l 5 4 7 Inuewfor:

W mgs wm mam 24m) W. ECKOLD BENDING PRESS July 10, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 Filed Jan. 8, 1958 Inventor: Walla) W M 2 7km United States Patent 3,043,359 BENDING PRESS Walter Eclrold, Sperrluttertal 540, St. Andreasberg,

Oberirarz, Germany Filed Jan. 3, 1958, Ser. No. 707,766 Claims priority, applicaticn Germany Feb. 25, 1957 7 Claims. (61. 153-45) Angle iron particularly with acute angles, and channel sections with short webs can be formed by means of presses which consist of two jaws or pairs of jaws arranged to operate like levers. The rear ends of one set of the jaws are rigidly mounted in a housing, whilst the rear ends of the other jaws are rotatable about an axis in the housing. In this arrangement, the front ends of the jaws or pairs of jaws, which are shaped like a beak, extend beyond the housing and are intended to clamp the blank between their clamping surfaces whilst it is being formed, and to form it. The thrust required for forming the blank is obtained by the action of a ram on the rotatable jaws.

These known types of presses have the disadvantage of being suitable for one thickness only of material for which the faces of the jaws are parallel. Any deviation from the thickness for which the tool is designed means that the hinged jaws will assume an oblique or inclined position, so that it is impossible to obtain a uniform forming action over the whole clamping depth of th aws.

The purpose of the invention is to eliminate this disadvantage, and the object of the invention is the design of presses such that they can be used not only for a definitely laid down thickness of the blank, but for any desired thickness of the blank without affecting the performance of the press.

This object is attained according to the invention by the provision of a jaw or jaws which no longer turn about a fixed hinge; instead, the upper and/or the lower jaws of the press are so supported at their rear ends that the jaws can be adjusted parallel to each other, the amount of this adjustment being accurately adjustable by one or several spacer wedges which can be moved longitudinally between the upper and the lower jaws.

The jaws can be adjusted in position parallel to each other in several ways. It would be possible to provide projections, such as bars, pins or the like at the rear ends of the rotatable jaws and to guide these in the grooves of a frame or a housing which could be integral with the fixed jaws. Such a design would require the provision of resilient elements in order to maintain the jaws in the positions and at the distance for which they have been adjusted.

In another embodiment of the invention the rear ends of the jaws are attached to a housing by means of a vulcanised rubber pad, the housing being used at the same time as a support for a spacer wedge which can be moved longitudinally and which makes it possible, in conjunction with sliding surfaces on the inside surfaces of the jaws, to effect such an adjustment of the jaws parallel to each other. It is, however, preferred to employ supports made of steel plates for the attachment of the jaws, these plates being vulcanized to the rubber pad, so that it becomes possible to change the rotatable jaws more easily. In this case the housing, the adjustment mechanism of the spacer wedge, the rubber pad and the steel plate support form one unit which can be used in many diiferent ways by the use of jaws having different profiles. The jaws can be assembled with these units most conveniently by providing a dovetail engagement between the steel plate supports and the ends of the jaws of the press.

In a particular embodiment of the invention the spacer wedges are reduced in cross-section and elongated so as to extend between the working surfaces of the jaws. The

3,b43,359 Patented July 10, 1962 "ice extensions between the jaws have the same profile as the jaws. This embodiment can also take another form in which the extensions between the upper and lower jaws extend as far as the working surfaces of the latter and have different profiles and can be changed. In this case, the spacer wedges which are provided in order to adjust the jaws parallel to each other, rest on these elongations.

In order to make possible the adjustment of the jaws of the press parallel to themselves with the greatest accuracy in accordance with the thickness of the material of the blank, the longitudinal movement of the spacer wedge or wedges is preferably effected by micrometer screws. Moreover, each wedge can be provided with a pointer which indicates the amount of movement of the wedge, or a figure corresponding to this amount, on a millimeter scale.

The embodiments of the invention will now be described in greater detail by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation partly in section showing a first embodiment of the invention,

, FEGURE 2 is a cross section on the line A-A of FIG- URE l in the direction of the arrows,

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation showing a second embodiment of the invention,

FEGURE 3A is a plan view partly in section of the second embodiment,

FIGURE 4 is a cross section on the line 13-13 of FIG- URE 3 in the direction of the arrows, and

FIGURES 5 to 8 are side elevations showing other embodiments of the invention.

The press shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 consists of an upper jaw 1 and a lower jaw 22.. A ram 3 which reciprocates at a high speed exerts the force which is required to form an inserted blank.

The rear ends of the jaws 1, 2. are vulcanized to a rubber pad 4 which, in turn, is vulcanized to the plate 5. The effect of this rubber element 4 is to connect the two jaws 1 and 2 flexibly with the plate 5 Between the two jaws 1 and 2 there is a spacer wedge 6 in contact with sliding surfaces on the inner sides of the jaws 1 and 2 and so arranged that it can be moved longitudinally by a micrometer adjustor 7. The distance x between the working surfaces of the legs can be adjusted in accordance with the thickness of the blank to be formed by pulling the wedge 6 through a greater or lesser distance along the inclined sliding surfaces of the jaws 1 and 2. Conversely, if the wedge is moved in the opposite direction, the rubber insert 4, which is preferably inserted under tension, allows the jaws 1, 2% to approach each other. The rubber inserts 4 are provided with metal plates 8 which, during the adjustment and during the operation of the press, roll over supporting surfaces in the plate 5 and the rear ends of the jaws. The wedge 6 is also provided with a pointer 9 which moves over a scale and indicates in, for example, millimeters, the amount of longitudinal movement of the wedge.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, the press has two pairs of jaws 1, 2. and 1', 2', which can execute controlled reciprocating working strokes by means of known devices. The rear ends of the jaws 1, 1, 2", 2', are not vulcanized immediately to a rubber pad 4. Instead, separate supports in the form of steel plates 5, are vulcanized to the rubber pad 4 and provided one for each jaw, so that the difierent jaws can be changed easily by the use of a dovetail engagement 5". The jaws are held in position by the grub screws 5". A common spacer wedge 6' is provided for the two pairs of jaws, which is again provided with a pointer 9 giving an indication to the outside.

FIGURES 5 to 7 show embodiments of the invention in which the supports 4, 5 for the jaws 1, 2 are inclined, while the jaws have corresponding oblique surfaces. In

the upper jaw 11 is fixed elastically by means of the rubber pad 4 which in turn is vulcanized to a projection of the lower jaw 2. If a spacer wedge 6", which tapers only on one side, is moved along by means of the knurled nut 7, the distance between the jaws can be adjusted accurately according to the thickness of the blank which is being formed.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 8, a member 11 is provided in between the upper and the lower jaws. The front end 11' of this member is so shaped that a double acting press is obtained, the profiled end of the member forming a die for both jaws. In this embodiment the jaw can be moved longitudinally and can therefore easily be changed for a member with a different profile. In this embodiment the distance between the jaws 1. and 2 is adjusted by two wedges 13 which are actuated by their own adjusting nuts 13'. The wedges taper on both sides 12 and act in conjunction with corresponding tapers on the member 11.

What I claim is:

1. A press for forming angle, channel and like sections comprising cooperating jaws which execute a lever type movement to form a blank placed between them by the application of operating pressure to the jaws, a rubber element attached to said cooperating jaws, a plate vulcanized to said rubber element, said rubber element serving to flexibly interconnect said jaws with said plate, a spacer wedge mounted between the jaws and movable longitudinally relative to the length of the jaws, and means secured on the plate and connected to the wedge to adjust the latter and thereby the distance between the jaws depending upon and to accommodate the thickness of the blank to be worked.

2. A press according to claim 1, in which steel plate supports are provided at the rear ends of the jaws for securing the latter in position, the steel plates being secured to the rubber element as a guide for the spacer wedge.

3. A press according to claim 1, in which steel plate supports are provided at the rear ends of the jaws for securing the latter in position, the steel plates being secured to the rubber element as a guide for the spacer wedge, the steel plates having dovetail guides.

4. A press according to claim 1, in which the spacer wedge has a reduced section and the wedge is elongated to extend parallel to the working surfaces of the jaws.

5. A press according to claim 1, in which a removable member is provided positioned between and coextensive with the working surfaces of the jaws, and in which the spacer wedge eifecting the adjustment of the jaws parallel to each other rests on the member.

6. A press according to claim 1, in which the means includes a micrometer screw provided with a locking device.

7. A press according to claim 1, in which the spacer wedge is provided with a pointer for indicating movement of the spacer wedge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 30,535 Mack Oct. 30, 1860 1,480,522 Ferguson Jan. 8, 1924 1,593,865 Caron July 27, 1926 2,582,560 Peterson et al. Jan. 15, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 851,084 France Sept. 25, 1939 693,765 Germany July 18, 1940 200,117 Switzerland Dec. 1, 1938 

